Taste of surrender
by Misura
Summary: Quatre is captured by Oz. [Treize/Quatre]
1. First part

Taste of surrender

Warnings/notes : Treize/Quatre, shifting focus, non-episode-oriented fic 

Disclaimer : I don't own Gundam Wing. 

written at 11th may 2003, by Misura

This fic would never have been written if not for Kasra and Jessie.

**********

The room was small, save for a table and two chairs, its walls a pure white.

On one chair, a tall brownhaired person wearing the uniform of a highranking OZ-officer.

On the other, a frail-looking blond boy clothed in casual clothing, his blue eyes calm.

Nothing to indicate one of them was a prisoner.

And yet ...

"Quatre." The name a whisper from his lips. 

_Why are you here?_

_Why are you doing this to me, forcing me to make a choice?_

_Forcing me to either hurt you or risk being branded a traitor?_

"General Kushrenada."

The mouth that usually wore a smile was drawn into a thin line now, showing only coldness.

The clear blue eyes that usually shone with joy and laughter were frozen over.

And Treize found it hurt him more than he could ever imagined.

_He is my enemy._

Quatre calmly returned the gaze of the OZ-general, showing not a hint of what he was feeling inside. At least he hoped he was able to hide it.

_If he only knew ... he would use it against me._

_His heart is cold, like an ice-cube. The only thing he cares about is power._

_A man like him can not be allowed to use the Gundams._

Treize did not reply to his title. Quatre started to feel uneasy.

_Why does he keep staring at me like that?_

_It makes me feel ... uncomfortable. It's like he's trying to look directly into my soul._

Treize didn't understand why Quatre's words and behavior made him feel hurt in a distant way he could not quite grasp or point at.

_Or maybe I do, only I don't want to admit it even to myself._

_I want him to like me, to trust me._

_Why that is, I can't explain ; there's only the need inside of me._

"I would prefer it if you adressed me as 'Treize'." he said stiffly. "That's my name, you know." he added as some sort of explanation.

_*Do* you know that, Quatre?_

_How much information on me and my life have you read in preparation for your missions?_

_As much as I have gathered about you?_

_I justified it by claiming I suspected you of being involved with the Gundams, but now ..._

_Now that lie comes back to haunt me it seems._

_OZ will want to question you ; they won't simply take my word for your innocence._

_You really must have scared them, you and your friends._

"Yes, I know." Quatre replied. "What do you want of me, Treize? Why am I here?"

_Does he know I'm a Gundam-pilot or does he merely suspect me to be?_

_What should I tell him to get out of here fast and in one piece?_

_What lies would he believe?_

Treize smiled suddenly. It made Quatre even more uneasy.

"You are suspected of being a member of a dangerous terrorist group." 

_Even I find it hard to believe anyone would even consider accusing you of such a thing._

_You look so innocent, yet I know what you really are._

_I have read your files ; how you defied the family-tradition of peace to fight this war._

_Maybe those small hands of yours have never killed anyone bare, yet there's still blood on them._

_As there is on mine. There are no angels in this world._

Quatre widened his eyes. If Treize hadn't known better he'd have sworn the boy was utterly surprised at the accusation.

_No angels, just people who look like them._

"What do you expect me to say to that?" Quatre asked. He hated lying, really, though he could and would do it if the situation required it.

_How much evidence do they have on me?_

_If they have anything real I will have to destroy it before escaping._

"How about the truth?" Treize replied, outwardly still calm. 

_Will you confess to having killed?_

_To having piloted a machine of destruction?_

~tbc?~


	2. Second part

Taste of surrender

Warnings/notes : Treize/Quatre, shifting focus, non-episode-oriented fic 

Disclaimer : I don't own Gundam Wing. 

written at 15th may 2003, by Misura

This fic would never have been written if not for Kasra and Jessie.

**********

"The truth? Since when does 'truth' matters anything to OZ?" Quatre replied bitterly.

__

All they ever do is lying.

To the people they want to control by their deceptions and schemings.

To the soldiers they use as tools to be thrown away when no longer useful.

"Why don't you just answer the question? Do you fear the truth?" Treize riposted.

__

Why does he have to be so perceptive? I bet he already knows who and what I am.

He just wants to make me feel ashamed and weak by making me tell him anyway.

So that it will be easier to make me reveal the things he doesn't know yet?

Well, I'm not going to play that little game.

"The only one afraid of the truth is you and yours." he said, looking up to meet Treize's eyes.

Quatre's eyes were very clear, the color of the heavens on a lovely, cloudless day.

__

It wold be so easy to drown in them.

They are so open, so innocent. 

And yet I can only guess at what goes on in the mind behind them.

"Me and mine? I assume you mean OZ by that. Let me assure you then, young Quatre that we have always been honest in stating our intentions."

As the blond boy opened his mouth to protest, Treize raised his hand.

"I have no doubt you have been told otherwise. Nor can I blame you for not believing me. Yet I ask you to consider the position of the Gundams as opposed to that of OZ."

"What do you mean?" Quatre frowned.

__

What's he aiming at? 

Treize smiled condescendingly. "Surely it hasn't escaped your notice that the Gundam pilots, whoever they may be, always work in secret, never revealing their identities. Never showing their faces to tell people what they want."

"That's - "

__

Is he trying to lure me into confessing something?

Does he think I will jump up and announce myself a Gundam pilot if he besmirks their honor enough? He knows me ill in that case.

The only reason we're hiding is because OZ would kill us if they knew who we are.

The only reason he hasn't ordered my execution yet is because there's something he wants to know from me. 

I have not the faintest idea what it is, but I'd better find out.

"The Gundam pilots have murdered a lot of innocent people without ever expressing their regrets or making any attempt to talk to us. They only destroy things."

Treize carefully watched Quatre's reaction to his accusations. 

__

Will he take the bait? Or will he remain silent?

I want to hear him say the words ; admit that he's no better than I am.

We're both killers, yet in another time and place we might have been so very different.

We might have been friends.

Quatre seemed to have made a decision. There was a challenge in both his eyes and his voice as he answered. "I have never willingly taken an innocent life. Nor has any of my friends."

__

And that's what makes us different from you.

We are only fighting in this war because you forced us to.

Treize didn't seem to be very happy with his response.

__

Well, he wanted this conversation. 

What did he think ; that he could just walk in here and get me to tell him everything he wanted to know? Whatever that mgiht be.

Why can't he just get to the point? Why does he keep dragging this on?

It's so pointless.

Treize felt disappointed.

__

This is not going anywhere.

He rose abruptly, gesturing Quatre to remain seated.

"Since you seem so disinclined to cooperate, I will leave you alone now. Perhaps you will have changed your attitude by tomorrow."

"I wouldn't count on it." Quatre replied coolly.

Treize shrugged, pretending not to care.

"Dinner will be brought shortly. I suggest you eat it rather than forcing us to make you do so. I give you my word there's no poison or drug in it." 

Quatre blushed very lightly. He had indeed been thinking along those lines.

__

Not that I don't believe he's not capable of doing something like that.

It's just embarrassing to know how easily he can see through me.

I will have to be very careful when he returns.

If I'm still here by that time.

Surely there must be some way to escape.

Without another word Treize left the room. As the door closed behind him, Quatre felt two conflicting emotions, neither of them to his liking.

There was relief. With Treize out of the room and out of his sight -

__

though he may be watching me still

- it was a lot easier to think clearly and consider possible ways to escape.

__

Which means his presence has far too much influence on me.

Then there was -however small- a hint of regret. Of loss.

__

It's dangerous talking to him, having him near enough to touch yet it's also strangely exhilarating.

He hardly tasted the food that was placed in front of him, lost in thought.

Treize too didn't really enjoy his dinner that evening, for much the same reason.

As he had retreated to his office, he took a thin folder out of a locked drawer.

The writing on the cover declared its contents of the highest classification level, meaning only three people were allowed to see it. In theory that was.

In practice, Treize had never shared this information with anyone.

Making up his mind, he opened the folder and started reading.

~tbc~


	3. Third part

Taste of surrender

Warnings/notes : Treize/Quatre, shifting focus, non-episode-oriented fic 

Disclaimer : I don't own Gundam Wing. 

written at 15th may 2003, by Misura

This fic would never have been written if not for Kasra and Jessie.

**********

__

They give me dinner, but they won't give me something decent to sleep on?

What kind of strange attitude is that?

It had been a good three hours since dinner and Quatre felt his body longing for some sleep.

Yet his cell only contained a table and two chairs ; nothing on which he might sleep.

__

Not without waking up stiff all over anyway.

Maybe that's their intention ; to make my muscles so sore I will be less likely to succeed in escaping. Or to merely weaken my resistance.

Sighing he rested his head on his arms that were lying on the table.

__

I should be looking for a way to get out of here, but I'm simply too exhausted.

Maybe there was something in that food after all.

Why wouldn't Treize have lied to me about that? 

He's beautiful on the outside but on the inside ...

As Treize silently walked into the room that next morning, his eyes wandered over the sleeping form in the chair.

__

He truely looks like an angel.

So pure.

So sweet.

So innocent.

Careful not to wake the boy he approached Quatre, driven by a certain longing to get a closer look at him. 

__

Somehow to be close to him makes me feel ... strange.

I want it but I also fear it a little. I want it too much.

Without consciously willing it, he reached out his hand to touch the golden hair that was spread around Quatre's head like a halo. It was soft like silk, as he had expected.

Quatre woke the moment Treize's hand touched his hair. The only reason he didn't immediately jump up was because he frankly had no idea what to do.

__

Yes, I could jump up or hit his hand away. What good would it do me though?

It might provoke him to do worse. It's just a touch after all.

It's not like he's hurting me.

Though I have no idea what it is he thinks he's doing.

"You're awake, aren't you?" Treize asked softly, without removing his hand.

"Yes."

__

What's on his mind?

Should I move away from him now that he knows I'm no longer asleep?

Treize wondered why he was allowing his hand to remain where it was, why he revealed so much of his feelings to Quatre, his enemy.

__

I have to remember that ; he would kill me if he could get away with it.

If I let him see I care so deeply about him, he would use it as a weapon.

"Have you changed your mind yet?"

__

I know the answer to that already. It will always be 'no', won't it?

You have such strong loyalty to what you believe in, such strong hatred towards OZ.

I wish I could revert those feelings somehow, wish I could make you love me.

Others do ; they follow my orders with blind faith because they know I never betray those I care for, never break my word.

"No, I have not." Quatre replied.

__

Did you think I would for even a moment? Then you are a fool.

Unlike you, I do know what it is to have friends to care for.

What it is to be trusted and to be able to trust.

I could almost feel sorry for you that you will never be able to say the same.

But it's your own fault.

"I'm not surprised somehow." Treize remarked, a hint of some emotion in his voice.

__

Regret?

"So you might as well kill me now. I'm not going to tell you anything about my friends."

__

Though I really don't want to die yet.

Treize froze as his mind conjured an image of Quatre getting executed. 

__

It would be impossible for me to simply stand by and watch a thing like that.

I can't allow it to pass. 

"I will give you one more day." he said neutrally, finally removing his hand. "After that .... "

"It won't make any difference." Quatre raised his eyes to Treize's. "None at all."

__

Ah, but it will, angelchild, it will. For me as well as for you.

"We'll see." he said, before leaving again, as he had done the previous evening.

__

Before I betray my feelings even more.

Quatre watched him until the door feel shut behind him.

__

How can I both hate and love him at the same time?

He frowned as he tried to sort out his conflicting emotions.

__

I hate what he stands for, what he believes in ; OZ and the war.

What I love is what he might have been.

What I love is an illusion I have built of him, no more than a lie.

At two hours past midnight, there was a small explosion at the west-wing of the base. By the time the guards arrived there, all traces of those responsible had vanished, together with the mysterious prisoner that had been kept in a cell nearby.

At three hours past midnight, Treize Kushrenada received a message on his PC. It contained only two words : _thank you._

He smiled briefly, sadly, before deleting it.

Heero sat staring at his computer-screen after having sent an e-mail to the unknown person who had informed them on where to find Quatre and when to go for him.

__

Who is he? How did he know such things? And why would he risk so much for us?

~tbc~


	4. Fourth part

Taste of surrender

Warnings/notes : Treize/Quatre, shifting focus, non-episode-oriented fic, this chapter and following will also focus on the other pilots as well as Lady Une and possibly Zechs.

Two blank lines indicate shift in focus, *** indicates shift in time/space. 

Disclaimer : I don't own Gundam Wing. 

written at 17th may 2003, by Misura

This fic would never have been written if not for Kasra and Jessie.

**********

__

"How could you do that, Quatre? How could you betray us like that?" Duo asked, looking distressed rather than angry, like the others were.

"But I ... "

"You are a traitor to our cause. You deserve to die." Heero stated calmly.

"No, you don't understand!"

"Everything all right?"

__

"You are nothing but a loser, Winner. A weakling." Wufei sneered.

"Please ... "

Trowa said nothing. His silence was eloquent enough.

"Quatre?"

__

"He doesn't even love you. He's just playing with you." Duo shook his head. "If only you'd have seen the truth. You were always such a bright kid."

"Too late." Wufei remarked. "Too late for regrets now. You are a security risk to us. Therefore ... "

"Goodbye, Quatre. I will miss the person you once were."

"QUATRE! Wake up!" Duo's voice.

__

He sounds angry.

"Duo? Are you mad at me?"

Duo blinked. "Huh? Of course not! I was just worried about you, that's all. You were screaming in your sleep. Having a bad dream?"

__

It was a dream. Only a dream.

I'd never let a thing like that become reality.

And they wouldn't really turn on me like that, would they? They're my friends!

He shivered. "Very bad dream."

Duo smiled at him, sitting down on the edge of his bed. "Well, be glad it was merely a dream. It's over now. It *was* merely a dream, wasn't it?" 

"What else could it have been?" Quatre asked nervously, wondering how much Duo had heard and if he had been talking in his sleep.

Duo sighed, looking serious for once. "You've been their prisoner for a few days only, so they didn't really get much of a chance to question you, but ... you say they haven't done *anything* to you."

Quatre swallowed. "And?"

Duo's eyes gazed into his, searching for something. "And I don't buy it. Come on, Quatre, we're your friends. No matter what they did to you, it won't make us turn away from you."

"They didn't - "

"Cut the act, Quat! I heard you screaming! It was Treize, wasn't it? That bastard ... "

__

Oh, Duo, you don't know half how right you are.

And how wrong.

"I just want to sleep. Please, Duo?" He didn't have to fake the yawn.

"We're your friends. Forever, Quatre. Remember that." Duo whispered, rising from the bed and walking to the door. "I'll be there if you want to talk about what happened."

"Thank you."

"Sleep well, little one. No more bad dreams, okay?"

"I hope so."

***

"General Kushrenada? Are you awake?" A female voice.

__

Une ... what's she doing in my room?

He struggled up, finding himself entangled in the sheets. As she hesitantly reached out to help him, he shook his head. 

"I am awake now, Lady. Is there an emergency?"

__

Have they found the secret location of the Gundams?

"No, sir. I was just ... worried about you. I ... heard you calling out. It sounded as if you were in distress so I ... decided to go and see if you were all right." she spoke haltingly.

"Amazing. You heard me all at the other side of the corridor?" he murmured.

__

Une's room isn't *that* close to mine.

"I was ... on my way to the kitchen. For a glass of water."

"Ah. Well, as you can see I'm perfectly fine. So you can leave now."

She eyed him dubiously. "You don't look very well, if I may say so, General."

"Perhaps that has something to do with being waken in the middle of the night?"

She retreated slowly, as if wanting to give him all opportunity to change his mind.

"Good night, lady Une."

"Good night, General Kushrenada."

Treize closed his eyes as she left, wondering what he had been dreaming about.

__

Or should that be 'who'?

Quatre ...

If I cared that much, why did I let him go?

***

"It is clear that our best hope to defeat OZ lies in robbing them of their heart, their central symbol." Heero spoke, receiving nods from most of the other pilots.

__

Only not from Quatre. He's become so quiet recently.

His face is pale and he hardly eats.

I'm not worried soon, but this time Duo's right in fretting.

This isn't like Quatre at all.

Something has changed. Something that happened while he was with OZ did this to him.

Why doesn't he want to tell us?

"I think all of you know what that means ; we have to try and strike at their leader, the one whose voice practically *is* OZ's voice. We have to kill Treize Kushrenada. Only then can we hope to free the colonies from suppression. Without him, OZ will fall apart."

He watched Quatre's face go sickly pale at the mentioning of the name.

__

Duo was right. I didn't want to believe it ; not after what Wufei told me about their duel.

I thought he was honorable.

I was wrong. 

~tbc~


	5. Fifth part

Taste of surrender

Warnings/notes : Treize/Quatre, shifting focus, non-episode-oriented fic

Two blank lines indicate shift in focus, *** indicates shift in time/space. 

Disclaimer : I don't own Gundam Wing. 

written at 21st may 2003, by Misura

This fic would never have been written if not for Kasra and Jessie.

**********

Treize stared at the message that had appeared on his screen only a few minutes ago. 

_/We intend to strike at thet heart of OZ. Will you help us?/_

He chewed on his lower lip as he contemplated his reply. Of course actually aiding the Gundam-pilots in destroying the organization he had created was out of the question.

_By agreeing to it though, I might gain useful information._

_I might prevent their actions from doing too much harm._

_If one of my soldiers would report a message like this to me, I would order them to go along with it, to win their trust ... and then betray it._

_Can I do any less myself then?_

Carefully picking his words he wrote an answer.

_/I will help you as much as I can without harming anything or anyone dear to me./_

Rereading it he nodded in satisfaction.

_That should do nicely._

*****

Heero frowned as he read the reply to his message. 

_Not as eager as I'd hoped for._

_Yet a careful man -or woman- may be of much more use to us in the long run. Less risk of getting caught that way. I can work with this._

_I hope._

_/What can you tell me about Treize Kushrenada?/_

*****

"Duo? Are you there?" Quatre softly knocked on the door to Duo's room.

Heero had locked himself in his computer-room, while Trowa and Wufei had left. They hadn't said whereto, only that they'd be back in a few hours.

Which meant that he and Duo were practically alone in the house.

_A perfect opportunity to talk to him._

_Of all pilots, I think that perhaps Duo will understand me._

_He smiles and jokes around a lot, but I have read his file._

_I know what he's been through in his life already._

"Duo?" he called again.

The door was swung open to reveal a rather sleepy looking Duo. As soon as he saw who his visitor was, the braided pilot seemed to come alive though, managing a bright welcoming smile.

"Quatre! Come in, come in! Want some coffee? It's not exactly fresh anymore but ... "

"That's fine." Quatre replied, slipping inside.

"Here you go then!" Duo handed him a mug, pouring another one for his own.

For a moment neither of them spoke. 

"Well, I assume you're not here to drink this horrible stuff." Duo said at last, taking a sip of his coffee and making a face.Quatre smiled faintly.

_Yeah, that's it, Q-man. Let's see if I can make that a real smile._

_Let's see if that humor of mine can be good for something other than annoying my teammates for once._

"No, you're right ; I'm not." Quatre admitted, glumly staring into his mug.

_Oh no, you're not. _

_No more glum stares for you ; I refuse to admit it._

_Whoever is responsible for this state you're in had better be prepared to meet the God of Death._

"Wanna talk about it?" he offered, using his usual jovial tone of voice. In fact he felt far from jovial, but he figured getting gloomy too would only depress Quatre more.

Duo Maxwell was a joker, not a wailer.

"Yes, I do. But Duo .... " Quatre's voice trailed off, uncertain.

_I hate it when he looks at me like that. Makes it hard to say 'no' to him._

He raised his hands. "Don't worry, not a word to anyone. My lips will be sealed."

_Even if I think we'd better solve this as a team._

_You're the smarter one of us, Quatre._

_Why can't you see how much we care?_

_How much we want to help you?_

Quatre looked relieved then shamed. "It's not that I don't trust them. It's just that I'm afraid they won't understand."

_You underestimate them, you really do._

_All of us have been through some pretty rough times._

_Though perhaps not all of us have been raped, we know what it is to be used against your will, to be helpless against a stronger enemy. To face injustice._

He nodded. "That's okay. I'm glad you feel comfortable enough with at least one of us. Talking about things like what happened to you always helps, even if it's hard in the beginning."

_Oh yes, I remember. I remember how hard it was for me._

Quatre's eyes were very large as he looked directly at Duo. "Yes, I think I can talk to you. About what happened back there, before you came and took me away."

A part of Duo's mind noted the odd choice of words. 

_'Before we took him away'? Not 'before we rescued him'?_

"You see, Duo," Quatre continued, his voice growing softer with each word he spoke, "I think I have fallen in love with Treize Kushrenada."

*****

Treize smiled softly as he typed up his answer to Heero's question.

_What can I not tell you about myself?_

_If only you knew ...._

The information he sent though consisted of a mere few lines, giving only some details anyone could have gained from reading the newspapers and watching the news.

_/Would you like me to try and find out his future locations?/_ he added, as an afterthought.

~tbc~


	6. Sixth part

Taste of surrender

Warnings/notes : Treize/Quatre, shifting focus, non-episode-oriented fic

Two blank lines indicate shift in focus, *** indicates shift in time/space. 

Disclaimer : I don't own Gundam Wing. 

written at 22nd may 2003, by Misura

This fic would never have been written if not for Kasra and Jessie.

**********

"You got to be kidding me!" Duo screamed as he jumped up.

Or rather, would have screamed, if he hadn't taken a few more moments to consider his actions and words. 

__

He's serious.

I can't believe this ; of all people that nice kid could have fallen in love with he picks the one we're going to try to kill.

Ah well, we can't help whom we love, can we?

Besides, it hopefully means his earlier words were true ; that Treize really hasn't done anything to him. I don't know, perhaps they didn't recognize him as one of us.

Perhaps they just thought he was some kid sneaking around at places he wasn't allowed to come for the thrill of it. 

That idea didn't ring true somehow.

__

Which means ... which might mean ... I need some more coffee! I can't think right now.

"So he didn't touch you or anything?" he asked cautiously, pouring himself another mug of coffee.

"N-no." Quatre replied, slightly confused.

__

Does stroking my hair count?

What's Duo aiming at?

Has it something to do with the way they were all looking at me earlier?

Duo sighed, taking another sip of coffee. "Listen Q, I don't need to tell you this is really bad. I mean, the guy's a creep. He's our enemy. Our next target most likely."

"I know that." he replied unhappily.

"Yeah well, knowing it won't help much, will it? You have to do something about it." Duo waved his hand in a vague gesture. 

"But what?" 

__

What can you do about falling in love?

I know it's not just the way he looks, is it?

"There may be a few things, depends." Duo looked thoughtful. "Does he know?"

Quatre gasped. "Of course not! I'm not stupid!"

*****

__

/Such information would be of very much use to us./ Heero replied.

He clicked on 'send' and waited for a reply.

__

If this person can actually tell us where Treize will be in the next few weeks, arranging an ambush would be lots easier.

Obviously he or she might try to lure us into a trap ; having helped us save Quatre doesn't mean anything. That might have been just an act to gain our trust.

But if I plan this carefully ...

*****

Treize sighed at the -not wholly unexpected- answer he had received on his offer.

__

I wonder which of the pilots is writing me this.

He knew all of their faces and names by now.

__

Heero Yuy, the Perfect Soldier.

Duo Maxwell, Shinigami, the God of Death.

Trowa Barton, pilot of the Heavyarms.

Quatre Raberba Winner, heir of the Winner-fortune.

And Wufei Chang, last descendant of the Dragon-clan. 

__

Five people against all the might of OZ ...

Their battle seemd so hopeless, yet I wouldn't bet against them.

He shook his head, to clear his mind of the images and focus again on the situation at hand.

__

/Friday, one week from today, there will be a ball honoring the anniversary of the Treaty of Lutzwin. General Kushrenada will attend, though I can't give you the adress where he stays before or after the ball./

*****

Heero frowned as his eyes scanned the message. If his informant was a member of Treize's staff, it might be possible he knew about the ball, but not the locations.

__

Still .... it's a high risk. 

The odds of it being a trap are tremendous.

What's easier than to surround the castle with troops, to strike only after we made the attempt?

/Thank you. I will consult with my teammembers if we can do anything with that information. I'll keep in contact./

I will speak to the others about this as soon as they get back.

*****

"Well, I thought that maybe he had talked you into just *believing* you were in love with him. I mean .... " Duo started.

"You thought he raped me." Quatre suddenly realized.

__

It explains everything ; the looks, the way they tiptoed around me like I was made of porcelain.

How could I have missed it?

They all think it, maybe that's even the reason why Heero wants to go for his head so eagerly now. Because they care so much about me.

Under any other circumstances that discovery would have made him happy.

"You thought he raped me and then made me believe it was my fault." 

Duo looked slightly embarrassed. "It seemed logical at the time. I mean, you were hardly eating and everything. Not the cheerful, smiling person you used to be."

"You believe me now, don't you?" Quatre demanded.

__

If I have really convinced Duo, maybe he can help me with the others.

"Yes. I may not like the truth any better than what I thought before, but I believe you when you say he didn't do anything to you. When you say you are ... in love with him. And I'll do whatever I can to help you."

Quatre didn't ask what Duo offered to help him with exactly. He knew it already.

__

He wants to help me stop loving Treize.

Wants to help me get over it.

That's what I want too, isn't it?

That's what I came to him for, isn't it? 

~tbc~


	7. Seventh part

Taste of surrender

Warnings/notes : Treize/Quatre, shifting focus, non-episode-oriented fic

Disclaimer : I don't own Gundam Wing. 

written at 27th may 2003, by Misura

This fic would never have been written if not for Kasra and Jessie.

**********

[Thurseday, evening before the ball]

Heero's emotionless voice seemed to fill the room as he went over the map of the estate where the ball would be held one more time. After having thoroughly studied the blue-prints of the building, he had discovered several escape-routes.

Enough to make him willing to try and do this mission.

_We have a lot to gain by this._

"Trowa and me will guard the two easiest escape-routes. If any of them gets blocked at any time, we will let the others know and move to another one. Duo and Wufei will go in, to try and take down our target, if possible without anyone noticing. Quatre ... "

His eyes wandered over the fragile arabian pilot.

_A lot to gain, yes, and OZ has a lot to answer for._

" ... I think it would be best if you stayed out of this. You're not fully recovered yet." There was, to the intent listener, a hint of gentleness to his voice that he used only rarely.

Duo heard it and was surprised by it. He was beginning to wonder if maybe he should have advised Quatre to tell Heero about his crush as well, but decided it was too late to change his mind now. 

_Besides, there's one big difference between caring for a hurt teammate and accepting that that teammate has developed a romantic interest in our most important enemy._

_Heero's trained to see any kind of feeling as a weakness ; he'd probably not even admit to being worried for Quatre._

"I want to go." Quatre said softly.

_Yeah, I figured he'd want to._

_I have to make him see what a bastard Treize Kushrenada is *before* we kill him ; that way it will be a clean cut. If we kill him too soon now, it might take Quatre years to recover from it._

_Maybe I could ask Wufei to help me ... I have to convince Quatre no one's going to be blame him for his feelings._

Heero looked at Quatre, who returned his gaze calmly.

"I can do this, Heero. I have attended more receptions or balls than all of you together."

"I agree with Winner." Wufei spoke up unexpectedly. "If he says he's ready, you have no right to hold him back." Trowa nodded his support solemnly, silently.

Heero's gaze traveled around his fellow-pilot's faces, finally resting on Duo, the only one who hadn't vented his opinion yet.

Which wasn't like him at all, Heero reflected, wondering what the cause of this lack of reaction was. "Duo?"

The braided pilot shrugged. "Why not, if he wants it? Me and Wufei can keep an eye on him. He won't even have to come near the target."

Heero nodded once. "Very well then. Quatre will accompany Wufei and Duo to the ball. It's a costumed one, by the way, so be sure to get a good costume. Any questions?"

There were none.

*****

_Why am I doing this?_

Treize questioned his image in the window.

_I should be planning how to capture the pilots that are bound to show up at the ball._

Absent-mindedly he stroke the petals of a rose standing in a vase nearby. 

_Soft. Smooth. Pleasant to the touch._

Taking the rose, he plucked off its petals one by one, watching them whirl down to the pavement below. He didn't count them, was hardly aware of what he was doing until he held the empty stem in his hands, staring at it pensively.

_Vulnerable. All too easy to hurt beyond repair._

_If I truly wish to preserve what is him, I should stay away from him, let others deal with this._

_But I'm too weak._

As he walked back to his desk, one of the thorns on the stem bit into the flesh of his hand. A small drop of blood appeared.

Treize smiled musingly.

_Perhaps I am underestimating him._

_I wonder what he's doing now ; can I allow myself to hope he thinks of me as well?_

_Probably not, yet the concept is ... alluring._

By the time he went to bed, the pile of papers to be read or signed hadn't shrunk much.

*****

[Friday, morning, 10 hours to mission]

"Quatre? You in there?" Duo knocked on Quatre's door.

"Duo? Yes, I'm trying on my costume." The door was opened, revealing a blushing blond pilot.

Duo felt his jaw drop. Quatre looked, well, stunning.

"What do you think of it?" 

Quatre was dressed in a white/blue costume that hung around him like mist. On his back were two wings, which waved gently as he walked.

"You look like ... an angel." Duo managed.

Blue eyes smiled at him. "That's the intention yes. Do you like it?"

Duo nodded uncertain. He didn't think anyone would be able to be mean to someone looking as Quatre did right now. Including Treize, for all the evil he might have done.

Which made Duo's job that much harder.

Plastering a grin on his face he asked : "Guess what costume I picked?"

"Hmm, you're not wearing it are you?" 

"Nope. But it's really easy."

Quatre looked confused and slightly worried. "It's not something that would give you away as what you are, is it?"

Duo shook his head. "Of course not! What kind of a fool do you think I am?"

"A rather obvious one." a voice from the door-opening replied.

"Wufei! We were having a private conversation here!" Duo glared at him, both for the intrusion and the insult. The chinese pilot shrugged unimpressed.

"If you want privacy, you should close the door." Wufei turned to Quatre. "He's going to dress up as Death, complete with scythe."

Quatre sighed. "Duo ... "

"What? Heero approved." Duo defended himself.

"I'm surprised." Wufei remarked. "But never mind ; I came to get the two of you for our final briefing about the weapons we're going to use on this mission. Unless you have any more 'private conversation' to conduct, I suggest you follow me."

"We're coming, Wufei." Quatre smiled. "Duo, can you help me with these wings? I don't want to risk damaging them so I'll put them on again at the ball."

"Sure." 

~tbc~ 


	8. Eighth part

Taste of surrender

Warnings/notes : Treize/Quatre, Lady Une added to the cast, shifting focus, non-episode-oriented fic, slight humor in this chapter

Disclaimer : I don't own Gundam Wing. 

written at 29th may 2003, by Misura

This fic would never have been written if not for Kasra and Jessie.

**********

[Friday, at the ball]

Treize nor any of the OZ-delegates wore a costume. Lady Une had sharply protested against it, claiming it to be completely undignified and Treize hadn't felt like argueing with her.

She was a very capable second-in-command and he had no wish to alienate her by squabbling over such a little thing.

Watching her dance stiffly with some officer who had worked up enough courage to ask her, he hid his smile by taking another sip of his wine. Lady Une had a lot to learn about enjoying the smaller pleasures of life.

_Like dancing. Or the taste of good wine._

_Because currently, my dear Lady, the only thing you seem to enjoy is the destruction of our enemies. That's simply not enough._

Une tried to relax while her body made the proper movements on its own, silently cursing the insolent whelp who had dared to ask her. Any well-educated young woman learned it was rude to refuse such a request, so she had had no choice really.

She knew Treize was watching her, knew he was pleased with her engaging in a foolish, useless activity like this.

The fact that she admired him did not mean she approved of everything he did or thought. Or that she understood him. She tried though.

_If the General thinks so highly of dancing, perhaps I should mention his fondness of this to some of the local women I saw staring at him earlier, too shy to say anything._

She smiled. Treize, no doubt, would have been pleased to see her having developed a sense of humor. Even if he might not enjoy the fruits of it too much.

Wufei glared at the hopeful-looking woman who obviously wanted to dance with him. Behind him, he heard Duo chuckle.

"Why do they keep coming at *me*?" he murmured, loud enough to be heard by Duo and Quatre, but not loud enough to be overheard by anyone else.

"It's the attitude, you know." Duo chuckled again. "You try too hard to look untouchable, to keep them away. Makes you a challenge. Me, they're not interested in, because I'm obviously easy to get and Quatre, well, he simply doesn't draw attention."

In fact the blond 'angel' had drawn quite some attention, but most of it was from elder, motherly ladies who had cooed over his cuteness and tried to introduce him to their daughters or nieces. Said daughters or nieces immediately decided he wasn't the least bit interesting ; how could he be when their mother or aunt *liked* him?!

Quatre took it all with a polite smile, seemingly a bit more at ease after his initial discomfort. 

"When are we going to finally *do* something?" Wufei inquired impatiently.

"Patience is a virtue, Wu-man." Duo sighed, wondering how he ever could have thought to pull this off on his own. 

"We can't kill him in front of all these people." Heero added, talking through the earpiece all of them were wearing for this mission. "It would make your escape much harder. Wait for him to go to somewhere a little more private."

"If one more woman wants me to dance with her ... " Wufei growled.

"... then you'll accept." Heero interrupted. "Behave normal. Remember that this is a ball ; it's usual people dance at such an occasion."

The fact that there wasn't even a hint of amusement in Heero's voice made the horrified look on Wufei's face all the funnier to Duo.

As soon as they had seen the fuming chinese pilot safely off with his fortunate dancing-partner, Duo and Quatre wove their way to the crowd, in the direction of the OZ-representatives.

Absent-mindedly complimenting the young lady whose name he had already forgotten on her dancing-skills, Treize bowed and returned to his place. Normally he would have been pleased to have so many women ask him for a dance ; it meant people weren't as afraid or wary of OZ as they once were.

Tonight though, things were different. He was expecting certain persons to show up, but they hadn't obliged him yet. It had been a gamble of course, to give them the time and location of this ball, yet he had calculated it to be enough to lure them here.

_I also thought there would be too many innocent people here tonight to have them do anything as ruthless as blowing up this entire building with either explosives or by using their Gundams._

_Let's hope I didn't miscalculate in that._

_Let's hope they don't hate me quite that much._

"Do you think it's safe to go any closer, Duo?" Quatre whispered.

No answer.

"Duo?"

Turning around, he noticed Duo had been claimed by a lady with dark purple hair for a dance. He grinned. Duo would never say 'no' to a dance if a pretty girl asked him. At least as long as he hadn't committed himself to a real relationship.

He heard someone breathe in sharply behind him and spun around, his heart beating quicker all of a sudden. 

Treize could hardly believe what his eyes were telling him. The pilot, his former prisoner, whom he had started to dream of by day, was here, standing right in front of him.

The boy wore an angel's costume, complete with wings. He looked, well, angelic seemed an appropriate enough phrase.

"General Kushrenada." A nod of the head.

Treize smiled, feeling oddly pleased the other had been the first to open the conversation.

"Quatre Raberba Winner. Or are you here under a different name?"

"You can call me Quatre." The boy shrugged. 

"I'm surprised to see you here." Treize remarked, considering he might as well use this opportunity to strengthen his position as the Gundams' unnamed source. "Very few people knew about this occasion."

"We have our ways to find out things."

They exchanged a smile.

Une frowned as she heard a nervous cough behind her. Not because her current conversation was so interesting but more because any interruption would probably mean trouble.

"Yes, what is it?" she snapped.

"Lady Une, we have discovered a suspicious person on our cameras. He seems to be watching main-entrance 1. Should we attempt to take him prisoner?"

"You have to ask me that? Of course, you idiot!" Her voice was shrill. She had personally supervised the preparations for this ball, meaning she would be blamed for any disruptions.

Not by Treize, who was too polite and too familiar with the difficulties of running a military operation, but others would be glad of an opportunity to besmirch her name.

_Speaking of General Kushrenada, where is he?_

The soldier who had reported to her beat a hasty retreat, while her eyes searched the room, finally spotting the OZ-general talking to ...

_No! It can't be ... that's the prisoner we captured not too long ago._

Determined she started to make her way to the two of them, intent on warning Treize and recapturing the prisoner without causing too much of a fuss.

~tbc~


End file.
